Difference in Brands

[heps56]

could someone help I am 100mg thyroxine my brand is normally Actavis have had this brand for years. My pharmacy has said that they can’t get this one and now I have been given NorthStar and I feel it is not working for me. I have a under active thyroid. Are some brands better than others is the way they are made and released into the blood stream . Thanks.

[helvella Administrator]

The Actavis branded product has re-branded as Accord.

Accord bought the bit of Actavis that makes levothyroxine for the UK quite a while ago and have now decided the time has arrived to drop the Actavis branding. The product has not changed - just the packaging.

Northstar is more complicated. It is a brand owned by Lloyds. The 50 and 100 microgram tablets are Accord (might still say Actavis). But the 25 microgram tablets are Teva product.

See details of UK products below.

UK Levothyroxine Tablets

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Last updated 02/10/2020.

This is a list of currently marketed levothyroxine tablets in the UK.

Please note that re-branding (whether by a manufacturer or as an ‘own label supplier’) – which has happened with several products – does not mean any change to formulation.

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🔹 Accord (marketing authorisation holder) – formerly Actavis

🏭 Accord-UK (manufacturer)

🥛 contains lactose – 39.95mg in 50 microgram tablet, 54.90mg in 100 microgram tablet

  50 microgram  PL 0142/0104

  100 microgram  PL 0142/0105

🟢 50 microgram and 100 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 50 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 100 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

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🔹 Advanz (marketing authorisation holder) – branded both “Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine” and “Mercury Pharma Eltroxin” which are identical

🏭 Custom Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (manufacturer)

🥛 contains lactose – 30.49mg in 25 microgram tablet, 48.86mg in 50 and 100 microgram tablets

  25 microgram  PL 12762/0016

  50 microgram  PL 10972/0031

  100 microgram  PL 10972/0032

🟢 Eltroxin 25 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟢 Eltroxin 50 & 100 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟢 Levothyroxine 25 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟢 Levothyroxine 50 & 100 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 Eltroxin and Levothyroxine 25 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 Eltroxin and Levothyroxine 50 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 Eltroxin and Levothyroxine 100 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

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🔸 Almus ‘own label supplier’ – (a brand owned by Walgreen Boots Alliance – Boots pharmacies and Alliance distributor)

  50 microgram – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis.

  100 microgram – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis.

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🔹 Aristo (marketing authorisation holder)

🏭 Aristo Pharma GmbH (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  100 microgram  PL 40546-0159

🟢 PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

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🔹 Glenmark (marketing authorisation holder)

Note: This product may not currently be dispensed.

🏭 Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Europe Limited (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  25 microgram  PL 25258/0293

  50 microgram  PL 25258/0294

  100 microgram  PL 25258/0295

🟢 PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 25 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 50 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 100 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

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🔸 Northstar ‘own label supplier’ – (a brand owned by McKesson – Lloyds pharmacies and AAH distributor)

  25 microgram – This is repackaged Teva. ❗

  50 microgram – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis. ❗

  100 microgram – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis. ❗

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🔹 Teva (marketing authorisation holder)

🏭 PLIVA Croatia Ltd (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  12.5 microgram  PL 00289/1971

  25 microgram  PL 00289/1972

  50 microgram  PL 00289/0038

  75 microgram  PL 00289/1973

  100 microgram  PL 00289/0039

🟢 12.5 and 50 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟢 25, 75 and 100 microgram PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 12.5 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 25 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 50 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 75 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 100 microgram SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

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🔹 Wockhardt (marketing authorisation holder)

🏭 CP Pharmaceuticals Ltd (manufacturer)

🥛 contains lactose

  25 microgram  PL 29831/0130

🟢 PIL: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC: mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

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🔹 – identifies marketing authorisation holder

🔸 – identifies ‘own label supplier’ products

🏭 – identifies manufacturers (where known)

🥛 – contains lactose

❗ – Take particular note of the actual product which varies by dosage.

🟢 PIL – Patient Information Leaflet

🟣 SPC – Summary of Product Characteristics document

🟢🟣 Single document combining typical PIL and SPC information

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Only products which definitely contain lactose are identified (🥛 – contains lactose). Please always check other products. Where products are ‘own label supplier’, check the marketing authorisation holder for the specific product.

There are links to product information on the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) website. products.mhra.gov.uk/ These are the latest versions known.

If there is anything inaccurate in this information, please let me know by Private Message, or on the forum:

healthunlocked.com/user/hel...

The British National Formulary (BNF) contains details of most medicines regularly available within the UK. This page has details of levothyroxine products, distributors and costs:

bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f...

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This document is updated whenever I am aware of any changes or enhancements are needed. Please check the Last updated date. The current version is available as a PDF here:

dropbox.com/s/6h3h0qi4eqwi6...

The PDF version of this document has a QR code above this sentence. If your device has a camera and can interpret QR codes, this QR code should take you to the same place as the link and make it easier to download on devices, such as phones and tablets.

[shaws Administrator in reply to helvella]

Great information.

[heps56]

Thanks for your reply. When I am next at my pharmacy I will have a chat with them about the other brands. Thanks.

[helvella Administrator in reply to heps56]

Many of us find switching brands is not acceptable.

Quite why is not clear despite some research and many suggestions!

I take Accord.

[Hibs1]

I don't notice any difference between northstar and accord as same ingredients + get either from my local chemist that is the 50's

[heps56]

Thanks for all your reply’s much appreciated 🙂.

[diogenes Remembering]

There are different performances with different brands. See this paper on the subject , which arose from a brand change in France with a disastrous outcome. Things that may affect utilisation of and response toT4 tablets: Fillers (immune response, Availability - how fast does the tablet dissolve, Uptake - how much T4 is taken up for an adequate response and therefore - Loss: how much T4 simply passes through without being used. A paper on this is:

Comment on “Levothyrox® New and Old Formulations: Are They Switchable for Millions of Patients?”

March 2020 Clinical Pharmacokinetics 59(1)

DOI: 10.1007/s40262-020-00887-x

Rudolf Hoermann, John Edward M Midgley ,Rolf Larisch, Johannes W. Dietrich

[heps56 in reply to diogenes]

Thanks will look this paper up. Thank you .